In motor vehicle design, it is advantageous to provide additional structure and support for a seat assembly which will be located in close proximity to the rear liftgate glass in a vehicle such as a sport utility vehicle having three rows of passenger seating. One potential solution to this need for additional support is the use of a high lock design which permits the seat to be locked in place by use of a striker locking the seat back in an upright position relative to the vehicle.
However, federal motor vehicle head impact regulations mandate that an object extending into the vehicle's interior above the passenger's belt line may not protrude into the occupant seating area of the vehicle. As a result, it is not possible to extend & striker from one of the vehicle's pillars into the interior of the vehicle to secure a seat assembly in an upright position.
Alternatively, a striker capable of interlocking with a latch contained within the vehicle pillars could be provided as support structure. However, motor vehicle interior design requires minimal gaps between the seat assembly and the interior trim panels of the vehicle when the seat back is folded down onto the seat bottom. The placement of a striker on the seat back of the seat assembly would typically require the inclusion of a large gap between the seat back and the interior trim panels when the seat back is folded down onto the seat bottom.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a seat assembly having a striker mechanism that can be mounted to the seat back of the seat assembly. There further exists a need in the art for a seat assembly having a striker mechanism that does not require the inclusion of a large gap between the seat back and the interior trim panels when the seat back is folded down onto the seat bottom.